Weekly Newsletter 10/18-10/24
FBC Marysville Weekly Newsletter
Recently:
- Childrens Check-In: We recently launched our new children's check in system which ensures another measure of safety for our little ones. Parents, try to check your child in about 10 minutes before our 11 am gathering begins to ensure they will be checked in properly.
- Growth: We have been blessed by the Lord in numerous ways. One of those ways He has shown His kindness to us is by adding to our church family. Say hello to new brothers and sisters, take the time to introduce yourself, and help ensure we maintain the beautiful loving unity that our church family enjoys.
Announcements:
- Communion: This Sunday, being the final Sunday of the month, is a time for our church family to enjoy the Lord's Table together. Communion is our opportunity to reflect on Christ enduring the cross for us.
- Start Here: On November 8th, we will hold our next Start Here class for those wanting to know more about our church, the way we function, and our vision. This is not just for new people, but is for anyone wanting to know our churches history, find out ways they can serve, and to know our leadership better.
- Connect Ministry: We have slots available for anyone who would like to serve on either the welcome team or the prayer team in our connect ministry. These are great opportunities to serve, love our people, and be hospitable to newcomers.
- Deibles: On November 15th, we will have a fellowship meal and host Chad and Sarah Deible, our missionary friends from South Dakota. Feel free to submit questions for our q/a with them on a connect card this Sunday.
Prayer Requests:
- Betty Williams: Continue being faithful to pray for Betty as she deals with a number of health issues in this season. It was a joy having her with us Sunday to sing and lead us in our time of worship.
- Patti Madison: Continue praying for the results of Patti's MRI she underwent last week.
- Erwin family: Pray for Bette, James Erwin's mother who is facing stage 4 kidney failure.
- Lampron family: Pray for Anthony and Elleigh Lampron who are expecting their baby girl in the Spring.
- Growth: As we grow in number, continue being faithful to not only pray for more growth in number, but pray for growth in the depth of people's walk with Jesus. We want to make mature disciples of Christ in our church family.
Weekly Devotion from James 2:14-26
This week we dealt with a weighty passage in which James deals with the topic of faith and works. This week, I want to draw our attention to a specific piece of this passage which helps ease the tension as it clarifies what James is seeking to address.
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' - and he was called a friend of God" (2:21-23 ESV)
Now, we discussed at length on Sunday that there is not a contradiction between Romans 3:28 and James 2:24. In expressing this, we emphasized this portion of the Scripture that we had the joy of studying together. Here is what I mean by telling you that this is a clarifying piece of information that James gives us.
1.) James, before this group of verses tells us that faith without works is dead. After these verses, he tells us that a person is not justified by faith alone.
2.) If that first point was isolated, you would probably be saying, 'What gives?' but there is much understanding that comes from the meat in the middle of those two statements. James is fighting the enemy of easy believeism and does not want people to have what he calls 'dead faith'. Dead faith is the kind which feels as though they sprinkle a little Jesus in their life for fire insurance, but they can live as they please because of the precious doctrine of salvation by faith alone.
3.) In combating easy believeism, James tells us in the verses at hand that Abraham, for example, was justified because his profession of faith was proven true by the way he lived and obeyed God. In other words, the dead faith in someone is not the kind of faith that acts or works. Living faith, like Abraham, is what justifies a person and then becomes evident by the way they live.